Ha Young remains under scrutiny over the pro-Japanese activities of her great-grandfather, Ahn Sang Ho, but a lawyer says property tied to him would likely not qualify for government seizure under South Korean law.
Attorney Son Soo Ho addressed the issue on August 17th on a YouTube show as renewed debate over the recovery of assets acquired by pro-Japanese collaborators has gained attention following the controversy surrounding Ha Young.
The discussion comes as South Korea moves to revive government efforts to investigate and recover such property. The Justice Ministry says legislation allowing renewed investigations into assets tied to pro-Japanese collaborators has passed the National Assembly, restarting work that had been suspended for 16 years.
Son stressed, however, that simply being officially recognized as a pro-Japanese collaborator does not automatically make a person’s property subject to confiscation.
Under the law, he explained, the threshold is considerably narrower. Among those who may qualify are people who participated in treaties that stripped Korea of its sovereignty, held senior positions under Japanese colonial rule, received titles of nobility from Japan, or were found to have committed particularly serious acts such as killing, persecuting or ordering the arrest of independence activists.
Asked whether Ahn would fall into those categories, Son said, “He doesn’t.”
“There is no legal basis to recover the assets. They are not property subject to confiscation,” he said. “It is true that he engaged in pro-Japanese activities, but under our law, the property cannot be considered pro-Japanese assets and therefore is not subject to recovery.”
Son added that a newly established investigative commission could theoretically uncover additional evidence that changes that assessment, but said it appeared unlikely based on what is currently known.
Ha Young came under fire after speaking on a variety show about coming from a family of doctors spanning four generations. Her agency initially denied the allegations surrounding her great-grandfather before reversing its position a day later and issuing an apology.
Ha Young also released a handwritten apology.
The controversy has since affected some of her public-facing work, with advertisements featuring the actress reportedly removed and clips from variety and radio appearances made private. A scheduled August 14th interview for the Netflix series Our Sticky Love was also canceled.
Her upcoming SBS drama The Long Shot Trial, however, is reportedly continuing production as planned.
>> Ha Young Reportedly Broke Down on Set Amid Great-Grandfather Controversy
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